New Mo. laws offer aid to agriculture, restrict water parks

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Matt Blunt signed bills Friday authorizing millions of dollars of agricultural tax breaks and imposing new requirements on water parks as the summer swimming season begins.

The swimming legislation is a response to last summer's drowning of 6-year-old Ethan Cory, of Joplin, while on a field trip to a privately owned for-profit water park.

Effective immediately, the new law requires swimming parks with a capacity of up to 500 people that charge admission to carry at least $1 million worth of liability insurance in case a customer dies or is injured. Those operating without insurance could face fines of $250 a day, up to a total of $10,000.

State rules already required city pools, hotel pools and water parks located in a theme park to have insurance.

Blunt signed the swimming pool legislation in Joplin, then traveled to rural Pomona in Howell County to sign a wide-ranging bill affecting agriculture.

That legislation, effective Aug. 28, allows gas stations to get a tax credit to help pay for new storage tanks and other equipment needed to sell biodiesel, higher ethanol concentrations and other alternative fuels. It expands state tax credits for ethanol producers to include alternative fuel made from wood products.

The new law also adds forestry tractors and equipment to an agricultural sales tax exemption, as well as materials used to build agricultural fences.

It blocks the Agriculture Department from requiring participation in an animal identification program without a state law specifically authorizing that.

It also authorizes a grant program for dairy operations and creates new requirement for local governments and volunteer fire departments seeking reimbursement for cleaning hazardous material spills.

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Water park bill is HB1341.

Agriculture bill is SB931.

On the Net:

Governor: http://gov.mo.gov

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov